Lens surfacing machine



Det. 27, 1938. .1. J. M CABE ET AL LENS SURFACING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1937 FlG.l

4 Sheets-Sheet l JOSEPH J.M=CABE GEORGE C.SCHELL|NG INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1938. J,J. McCABE AL 2,141,309

LENS SURFACING MACHINE Filed Jan. ll, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 QJOSEPH J. McCABE GEORGE C.SCHELL.ING

INVENTORS Dec. 27, 1938. .1. J. MCCABE ET AL LENS SURFACING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1937 4 Sheets-Shet 3 J. J. M CA-BE ET AL LENS SURFAC ING MACHINE Dec. 27, 1938.-

Filed Jan. 11, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTORS JOSEPH J. MCABE GEORGE C.SCHELL|NG FIG. 7

memento. a1, 1938 f 2,141,309

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LENS BUBI'ACING MACHINE Joseph .J. McOabe, Rochester, and George 0.

' Schelling, Irondequolt, N. 1., asaignors to Banach & Lomb Optical Oompanmltooheater, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 11, 1937, Serial No. 119,920 c Claims. (01. 51-100) The present invention relates to lens surfacing spherical head 2|. A screw 24 provided with a machines and more particularly to lens surfacing hand grip SI, extends through anopening 26 in machines capable of forming spherical, cylinthe movable jaw 62 and is:threaded into the drical, toric or other surfaces on a lens. support 21. In order to prevent emery or other One of the objects of the present invention is abrasive from getting on the screw 24 "or hearing I to provide a new and improved lens surfacing head 3|, an overhanging skirt 21 is formed on machine capable of forming spherical, cylindrical, the support 21 and two similar skirts 36 are toric or other surfaces on a lens. Another object formed on the movable jaw 32. 'The lap 39 is is to provide a lens surfacing machine having an formed with a recess 40 in its lower surface to 1o improved mechanism for regulating the pressure engage the positioning key 29 and, when thescrew between the lens and lap. A further object is to 4 is tigh ned, the face of the hand grip l6 bears provide a new and improved clamp for holding against a p jecti n U n the m v ble law 32 the grinding lap in a lens surfacing machine. and moves this law to clamp the lap 29 in po- Still another object is to provide a lens sursition. Y

facing machine having means for protecting the As best shown in Figs. 3, 8 and 9, a shaft 42 internal mechanism from abrasives. These and extends through a bushing 42 on one of the side other objects and advantages reside in certain walls of the lower section 22 of the housing and novel features of construction, arrangement and is journalled in a bearing form in a p jection combination of parts as will hereinafter bemore 0n the rear wall of the lower section 22, This fully set forth and pointed out in the appended shaft 42 is driven from a source of power, not 20 613mm shown, by means of the pulley 46. A yoke 46 Referflng t th d i 3 is fixed on the inner end of the shaft 42 by means Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a lens surfacing 01 a y 1 d s t s rew 46. A stub shaft 49 machine embodying our invention, is iournalled in the yoke 46 with its-axis parallel Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. to the axis of the shaft 42 and can be locked in 25 Fig. 3 is a top view with the upper portio f position by a set screw 50 which is threaded the housing removed toshow interior structure. transversely thro h the shaft 49 and extends Fig. 4 is a front view with the front wall reoutward through a lin r slot I in the y moved and parts in section, I A plate 52 1S fixedly secured on the stub shaft .9 3o Fi 5 i a ti t k n on lin 5-5 r Fig, 4, and carries'a second stub shaft 53 parallel to the Fig. 6 is a section takenon line 6-6 of Fig. 4. stub shaft 49. It can be readily s en h t by Fig. '7 is a section taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 4. moving the plate 62 about the stub shaft 49 the Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 6-8 of Fig. 3. distance between the axes of shaft 42 and stub Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. a. aft 53 s ha d. t us vary th entr t as Fig. 10 is a section taken on line Ill-Iii of Of the stub shaft 53. A frame 54 is pivo Fig. '3. mounted on trunnions 56 secured by set screws Fig. 11 is a section taken on line ll-ll r 66 in projections 51 on the side walls of the Fig. 10. lower section 22 of housing 20. This frame 64 Fig. 12 i a e tion taken on line |2 |2 of carries an extension 68 which is connected by so Fig. 5. pivots 66', as shown in Figs. 3 and 8, to a bifur- A preferred embodiment of the present invencated link 59 iournalled on the stub shaft 63.- tion is illustrated in the drawings wherein 20 e fr me 54 is provided with a pair of horiindicates generally the housing of a lens surfac- Zont l arms 60 to which the yoke ii of the link ing machine having an upper section 2| and a' 52 is l'ockably Secured y Pivots A Smile 5 A lower section 22 secured together as by bolts 2:. 01' a li N is r ab y ou on another p 45 a removable door 24 having a knob 25 is provided r f ho i onta r s 0' o the ame 5 by pivots in the upper section 2| to permit easy access to 533 The xes of the two yokes 6| and 63 are the interior of the housing 20, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the Secured to the front wall of the lower section D vct xi of e frame 4- A brack t 65 is 22 of the housing 20 by bolts 26 is a support 21 secured in a second yoke of the link 62 by 50 having on its upper surface a fixed jaw 23 and a pivots 65' so that its axis is parallel to the pivotal positioning key 29. Abearing member 30 having axis of the yoke 6|. Likewise, a bracket 61 is a spherical head 3| is secured in the lower front pivotally secured in the second yoke 66 of the link part of the support 21 and a movablejaw 32 is 64 by pivots '61 so that its axis is parallel to the provided with a conical recess 33 for engaging the pivotal axis of the yoke 68. A rod 69 is rigidly secured in the brackets 88 and 81, as by set screws or the like, not shown, in such a way that the links 62 and 64 are held substantially parallel.

The mechanism for oscillating the rod 69 longitudinally is best shown in Figs. 3, 4, 10 and 11. .A helical gear 18 is fixed on the shaft 42 and the lower section 22 of the housing 28. A yoke 15 is fixed on the end of the shaft 12 by means of a key 16 and'a set screw 11 and a stub shaft 18 is journalled in the yoke 15 with its axis parallel to the axis of the shaft 12. The stub shaft 18 can be locked in position by means of a set screw 19 which is threaded transversely through the stub shaft 18 and extends outward through a slot 80 in the yoke 15. A plate 8| is fixedly secured to the stub shaft 18 and carries a stub shaft 82 parallel to the stub shaft 18. An eccentric sleeve 83 carrying a gear 84 is rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 82 and a second sleeve 85 carrying a second gear 86 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 83. The gears 84 and 88 difier by one tooth and both are engaged by a planetary gear 81 which is a rotatably mountedon a shaft 88. The shaft 88 is carried by a plate 89 which is secured to the plate 8| and rotatable on the eccentric sleeve 83.

A yoke 98 is pivotally secured at 9| to the sleeve and a rigid link 92, fixed to the yoke 98, is provided at its outer end with a spherical bearing member 93. This bearing member 93 is engaged by two socket members 94 held together by side plates and fixed on the rod 69 by set screws 96. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the extent of oscillation of the rod 69 is controlled by the position of the plate 8| controlling the eccentricity of the stub shaft 82. The yoke 98 holds the sleeve 85 against rotation and the planetary gear 81, rotating with the plate 89, causes the gear 84 and eccentric sleeve 83 to rotate slowly. The oscillation of the rod 69 by means of the stub shafts 53 and 82 is thus varied so that the rod does not always move in the same path.

Two rocker frames 91 and 98 are mounted on the rod 69 for rotation thereabout and two yokes 99 and I88 are pivotally mounted at MI and I82, respectively, on the frames 91 and 98, respectively. Arms I 83 and I84 are secured on the front ends of yokes 99 and I88, respectively, and both arms I83 and I84 extend through an opening I85 in the front wall of the lower section 22 of the housing 28 above the lap 39. An adapter I86 is secured on the free end of the arm I83 by a nut I81 and carries two pins I88 which engage the block I89 carrying the lens 8 and serve to move the lens II 8 around and across the lap 39. The use of two pins I88 prevents any rotation or twisting of the block I 89 and lens II8and thus accurately maintains the positioning of the lens 8 relative to the lap 39. An identical adapter I I I is similarly secured on the arm I84.

The mechanisms for imparting pressure to the arms I83 and I84 are identical and only one of these mechanisms will therefore be described. Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, a bracket H2 is fixed in the upper section 2| of the housing 28 by bolts 2' and carries a shaft 3 upon which a tubular lever H4 is pivotally mounted. A bifurcated link 5 is pivotally secured at I I5 to the lever I I4 and the other end of the link I I 5 is pivoted on a stub shaft 6 eccentrically mounted on a gear H1. The gear II1 is fixed on a shaft II8 which is journalled in a projection II9 on the top wall of the upper section 2| of the housing 28 and is held against axial movement by a screw I28. A shaft I2I- is journalled in an extension I22 of the upper section 2| of the housing 28 and carries a segmental gear I23- meshing with the gear II1. A crank arm I24 is fixed on the shaft I 2| outside the extension I22 for operating the segmental gear I23. A spring I25 is secured at one end to the front wall of the upper section 2| and at its other end to a projection I28 on the link II5. A second projection I21 on the link II5 carries a screw I28 which abuts a stop I29 on the frontwall of the upper section 2|. The rotation of the gear 1 is thus limited by the screw I28 and stop I29 to a little more than one-half revolution so that the stub shaft H6 is movable between positions above and below the axis of the shaft H8 and in each extreme position, the axis of the stub shaft 8 lies in a plane between the axis of the shaft 8 and the stop I 29. The spring I25 holds the gear I I1 in its extreme positions.

The tubular lever H4 is open adjacent the shaft II 3 and is provided with two upstanding ears I38 and |3| between which a bell crank lever I32 is pivoted on a shaft I33. A threaded rod I34 having a hand grip I35 is threaded in the tubular lever H4 and extends longitudinally thereof to abut the short arm I38 of the bell crank lever I32. The long arm I31 of the bell crank lever I32 has a projection I38 at its free end and a spring I39 connectsthe projection I38 with a projection I48 on the rear end of the yoke 99. Thus it is apparent that the movement of the crank arm I24 moves the tubular lever II4 between its extreme positions and thus serves to apply or remove the pressure between the lens 8 and the lap 39 while the screw I34 actuates the bell crank lever I32 to tense the spring I39 and thus regulates the amount of pressure between the lens I I8 and the lap 39. g

In order to lift the arm I83 away from the lens block I89, the tubular lever H4 is provided with an apertured extension I within which a rod I42 is slidable. A wing screw I43 serves to lock the rod 42 in position. A link I44 connects the rod I42 and the arm I83 so that when the tubularlever I I4 is raised by the crank arm I24, the arm I83 will be lifted away from the lens' block I89.

One of the diificulties that has beset the prior art is the protection of the working parts from emery or other abrasive. According to the present invention, the bottom of the lower section 22 of the housing 28 is divided by a low baflle wall I45 which extends across the lower section 22 parallel tothe front wall. The rear ch'amber' formed by this wall is an oil reservoir from which oil is pumped over the operating parts in a manner well known in the art. The front chamber formed by the bailie wall I 45 is a waste chamber may enter the opening I85. A cover plate I46 is secured on the front wall of the lower section 22 of the housing 28 and partially closes the opening I85.- Within the housing 28, the yokes 99 and I88, the rocker frame 98 and the yoke 66 are provided with baflie plates I41, I48, I49 and I58, respectively, in alignment with the opening I85 and lying in a plane betweenthe front wall of the housing 28 and the baffle wall I45. Thus any abrasive entering the opening I85 will be deflected by the baflie plates I41, I48, I49 and I58 into the waste chamber defined by. the bailie wall I.

From the foregoing it will be] apparent that we are able to attain the objects of our invention and provide a new and improved lens surfacing machine which is simple in construction yet rugged, efllcient and convenient in operation. Various modifications can, of course, be made without departing from the spirit of our invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a lens surfacing machine, a housing, a grinding element, a lens holding element, means carried by said housing for moving one of said elements relatively to the other, said means including a lever having means on one end for engaging one of said elements, and a mechanism for urging said elements together, said mechanism comprising an arm mounted within said housing, a crank lever pivotally, mounted on said arm, a spring connecting one end of said crank lever to said lever and screw means carried by said arm to actuate said crank lever for varying the tension in said spring.

2. In a lens surfacing machine, a housing, a grinding element, a lens holding element, means carried by said housing for moving one of said elements relatively to the otherin continuously changing paths, said means including a lever having means on one end for engaging one of said elements, and a mechanism for urging said elements together, said mechanism comprising an.

arm pivotally mounted on said housing, means for releasably locking said arm in operative position, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said arm, a spring interconnecting said bell crank lever and said lever, and means on said arm for moving said bell crank lever to vary the tension on said spring.

3. In a lens grinding and polishing machine, a housing having an opening in one wall, a grinding element, a lens holding element, means for moving one of said elements relative to the other comprising a frame pivotally mounted in said housing, a second frame pivotally mounted on said first frame with its axis perpendicular to that of the first frame, a lever pivotally mounted on said second frame for movement about axes parallel to the axis of said two frames and having one end extending through said opening, means on said no end of said lever for engaging one of said elements, a spring within said housing and secured to the other end of said lever for causing said lever to press said elements into engagement, means .for varying the tension in said spring and means for oscillating said first frame and said second frame about their axes.

4. In a lens surfacing machine, a housing having a front wall and a bottom wall, a baille wall fixed on said bottom 'wall substantially parallel to said front wall and serving to define a waste chamber, a grinding element carried by said front wall outside of said housing, a frame oscillatably mounted in said housing, a projection carried by said frame and extending through an opening in said front wall, means on said projection for engaging a lens holding element to move said element across the grinding element, and baiile means carried by said frame between said front wall and said baille wall opposite said opening whereby abrasives entering said opening will strike said baiile means and fall into said waste chamber.

5; In a lens surfacing machine having a housing, a grinding lap holder comprising a block secured on said housing, a projection on said block for engaging one side of a grinding lap, a key on said block'for positioning said lap axially, a jaw, cooperating bearing means on said.

jaw and on said block, a screw extending through said jaw into said block for moving said jaw on said bearing means, and cooperating shield means on said block and on said jaw for protecting said screw from abrasives.

6. In a lens surfacing machine, a housing having a bottom wall and side walls, a bafiie wall extending across said bottom wall adjacent one of said side walls and dividing the lower portion of the housing into an oil chamber and a waste chamber, a grinding element carried outside of said housing adjacent said one of said side walls, an articulated frame reciprocably mounted in said housing, a lens actuating element carried by said frame and extending outside of said housing through an opening in said one of said side walls and baflie plates carried by said frame in alignment with said opening and between said opening and said baiile wall whereby any abrasive entering said opening will be deflected by said baflle plates into said waste chamber.

JOSEPH J. McCABE. GEORGE C. SCHEIIJNG. 

